As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particularly significant for handheld portable devices with touch-sensitive displays, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content, but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions.
Portable media players, such as MP3 players, are often used for playing music while exercising. Media players have been integrated into mobile telephones and/or personal information managers (or digital personal assistants). These media players may be part of multifunction devices with touch-sensitive displays, like the iPhone® and iPod Touch® from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
Recently, portable electronic devices have been enhanced to support wireless communications, such as with Bluetooth® communication protocols. To help people with their sports/workout regimens, some portable electronic devices can communicate with a wireless speed and distance sensor in the user's shoe. The wireless speed and distance sensor operates as a pedometer and can wirelessly transmit data to the portable electronic device. Such systems permit interaction between a portable electronic device and a pedometer, which are conventionally separate devices.
While exercising, users will often attach portable electronic devices with workout support applications to locations on their bodies where it is difficult to see the controls and the display. For example, a runner may use an armband to mount a device on her upper arm so she need not carry the device in her hand. But manipulating on-screen controls is difficult when a device is mounted to one's upper arm.
Accordingly, there is a need for portable electronic devices with touch screen displays that have more transparent and intuitive user interfaces for providing sports/workout support. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with such portable devices.
In addition, there is a need for portable electronic devices with touch screen displays that provide control of an application (e.g., a workout support application or other application that provides audio) with finger gestures while the application is in a user-interface locked mode of operation.